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Nearly 400 km of expressways opened to traffic in H1

Chief of the ministry's Office Lam Van Hoang said at a conference on July 7 that 219 km of national highways were built and another 212 km were upgraded in the first six months.

The pavement on the Chau Doc–Can Tho–Soc Trang Expressway section passing through Vinh Hanh commune, An Giang province, has been asphalted, giving the project a more defined appearance. (Photo: VNA)
The pavement on the Chau Doc–Can Tho–Soc Trang Expressway section passing through Vinh Hanh commune, An Giang province, has been asphalted, giving the project a more defined appearance. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Nearly 400 km of new expressways were put into operation in the first half of 2026, completing the eastern wing of the North–South Expressway and expanding the country's expressway network to 3,345 km, according to the Ministry of Construction.

Chief of the ministry's Office Lam Van Hoang said at a conference on July 7 that 219 km of national highways were built and another 212 km were upgraded in the first six months.

Since the beginning of the year, six out of 10 transport projects under the ministry and key projects managed by local authorities have broken ground, while four of 34 projects have been completed. Although some localities have made good progress, delays in site clearance have hindered implementation, slowing the overall pace of several projects.

Hoang also attributed the slow disbursement of public investment to bottlenecks in investor selection and project implementation.

The ministry has been allocated nearly 137.26 trillion VND (5.22 billion USD) in public investment for 2026, of which about 101.15 trillion VND, or 76%, is earmarked for two railway projects. It has completed a review of medium-term public investment needs for 2026–2030, estimated at 1.29 quadrillion VND.

The ministry urged relevant agencies, investors, project management boards and localities to complete the remaining work, including toll collection systems and rest areas on the eastern North–South Expressway, while speeding up the construction progress of the North–South high-speed railway, the Lao Cai–Hanoi–Hai Phong railway, and the Long Thanh and Gia Binh airports.

Investors, contractors and local authorities were also required to fully disburse their allocated public investment capital on schedule instead of delaying disbursement until the end of the year.

The Planning and Finance Department and the Authority for Construction Economics and Investment Management were tasked with closely monitoring each project, promptly adjusting capital allocation when necessary, and using disbursement performance as a key criterion for future funding allocation and performance evaluation./.

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VNA
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